I’ve Written A Screenplay. Now What?

[UPDATED: July 2014]A LOT of people write to me, asking me for ideas on what to do / where to send scripts they’ve written, so I thought it was time I put my thoughts on this in one place, once and for all … Enjoy!

Dealing with feedback. We all know we should NEVER send out first drafts — but don’t get complacent and think you *know* about things like character and structure either. In theory, we all *know* about these things, but in reality, on the page, it can work out very differently to what we intend, whether we’re professionals, aspiring writers or even script readers. Keep your mind open to others’ feedback. Without an open mind, what have you got? Similarly however, don’t try and please EVERY bit of feedback you get. Sometimes you will get great feedback, but you have to disregard it. Remember, it’s not about being “right” or cramming everything in, but as I think of it, “losses and gains” – if you implement something or take it away, what happens? MORE: 5 Ways To Deal With Feedback Effectively

Short Films. There is always going to be demand for well-written short films: if nothing else, hundreds, if not thousands of film students EVERY YEAR need short film scripts to film for their final projects. A lot of writers look down their noses at this as an opportunity, but it IS a good one: the student filmmaker has just spent months, if not years, of their life investing in their degree! They will go out of their way to try and make a good film and get a good mark – and thus give you an excellent starter for your CV. Yes you will earn no money from it. But a film made is better than a short stuck on your desktop, surely? MORE:How To Maximise Your Portfolio

All about agents. Literary agents are tough nuts to crack and it seems now is one of the hardest times EVER to get taken on. Personally, in times like these, I think a writer’s efforts are better spent NOT agent-chasing, but networking, collaborating & DIY filmmaking; chances are, a referral, award or option and/or commission down the line is far more likely to see you picked up in my opinion, but as with everything it’s up to the writer. Check out Robin’s excellent compilation of blog posts about agents here. MORE:How To Get An Agent

4) Networking & Pitching

Writers write. But that’s NOT all they do. You simply must get YOURSELF out there as well – believe it or not, it doesn’t matter how you do this either. You don’t need to live in London; you don’t need to be the most confident or popular person in the world either. Hell, you don’t even need to show your face (though it is advisable you do if you can, more of that in a minute).

Blogging/ Social Media. In short though, if you’ve got a day job, a family, live in the North Pole or whatever – you should still be networking like mad. But how? Well, durr – on the INTERNET. blog helps, but avoid venting your spleen every five minutes. If you’re the type of person whom blogging does not appeal to, fine: get a Twitter account. Can’t think of anything witty or hilarious to say every five seconds? No matter – get a Facebook, LinkedIn or Talent Circle account. Hell, why not get all of them? Lots of people have all these internet connections covered (including myself – I’ll add you) and they’re FREE. Get your name about online, be funny, interesting or offer answers to people’s questions. Whatever works for you. But don’t lurk in the background while all the other kids chat – be brave, get talking! MORE:10 Reasons Your Blog Sucks and 5 Ways Writers Kill Their Credibility Online

Script Listing/ Pitching Sites. The Black List is popular amongst my Bang2writers; as is InkTip and Script Boutique. There are loads of other sites you can either list your or pitch your screenplay on, however. Make sure you check them out and ask your peers of their experiences and for their recommendations.

Screenwriting Events. London Screenwriters Festival and other screenwriting and filmmaking events can be a major investment of both time and money for screenwriters, but there’s lots of opportunities in this field now, IF you work with a strategy as mentioned in point 2 on this list: whether that’s to work on your craft; meet people and/or pitch your projects, there’s lots of ways to make serious inroads in your career, but you have to PLAN and be ahead of the game. MORE:How To Get The Most Out of LondonSWF

BBC Writersroom & Writers Guild events. Check out the BBC Writersroom: they often have roadshows in major towns and cities like Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff etc as well as London. Even if you’re not sure you’re *that* interested in what they’re talking about, go anyway; the tickets are FREE. It’s getting out and about that counts!The Writers Guild of Great Britain often has talks too – free for members or a nominal charge for non-members (sometimes as little as £5).

5) All About Getting Paid For Writing

It’s really very simple: exploitation = BAD. Collaboration = GOOD. You have to weight up various elements to decide whether a job is worth doing or not, dependant on the money and/or time involved in doing it. I decide by asking myself these 3 questions:

i) What will it do for me, personally? (Monetary gain; experience at a particular type of writing; contacts?)

ii) Will it go against me? (eg. Sometimes working with someone who is very unpopular in a particular circle *can* be bad in a “guilt by association” fashion; other times, working with someone who is extremely difficult is simply not worth it, even for a lot of money: I walked from a well-paid gig once because the person in question had no understanding of social propriety: he would phone me at 1am; call in the middle of dinner; demand I’d come up to London for an hour’s meeting; even cancel the moment I got there!?! I thinketh not).

iii) Am I safe? (For example, working without a contract can be a BAD idea, if you don’t know your colleagues well. Every party needs to know exactly where they stand in relation to the material as far as I’m concerned, otherwise what’s the point? Lots of writers are afraid of asking about contracts and payment even on a deferred basis, as they think it makes them seem pushy; but trust me, it’s not. It’s only fair. You’re WORKING. Ok sure, it’s for no money on a collaborative basis, but what happens if the producer can’t get your treatment or script optioned/made/funded? When do the rights come back to you? Ever? You need to know.)

One last thing here: if you’re asked to a meeting, think about what your daily rate is – and do some research into what is reasonable! There’s plenty online about this, particularly on the WGGB. They also offer a “contract checking” service, too. Check out the website again, HERE.

6) Know Yourself & Your Own Industry

Get talking to directors & producers – but be realistic. If you’re someone starting out, chances are the bigwig prodcos aren’t going to be knocking your door down. But that’s cool; that’ll come with time. Instead, find people the same “level” as you: in other words, find directors and producers who want (and/or have done) the same type of things as you and want a way in. Collaborate with them, set yourself goals, get stuff made together; you need each other. It won’t be plain sailing; stuff will probably go wrong. You’ll end up with scripts massacred and films that look and/or sound like crap. Again: chill. You’re all learning and you’re doing it together. You can find directors and producers everywhere online – and at film festivals, courses, events, etc in “real life”. Just don’t be WEIRD or DEMANDING.

Rule nothing out. Apply for any script/writer-for-hire calls you see. But again: be realistic; if a script call asks for a writer who has won an award or placed in a script contest and you haven’t, you may have only a slim chance at getting through to the next stage. That said, you have to be in it to win it: blagging is okay within reason, but NEVER lie.

Read. Read all the websites associated with the types of writing and genres you do, or want to crack. Know who is who; who is doing what; what’s a good idea, what’s not a good idea. This is NON-NEGOTIABLE. Optional is reading books about writing craft or processes – if it helps you? Great! Go for it. Here are my books for interested parties.

Know what skills you still need. You don’t know everything and you will have weaknesses, so work on them. If you really can’t get the hang of it, then find someone who CAN do it and cut a deal somehow, collaborating with them or paying them, whatever it takes. Don’t forge blindly ahead and think others won’t notice ‘cos they WILL.

Do freelance / corporate writing work if you can get it. So it’s not what you *want* to be doing, but it’s money in your pocket and it’s potential ways of meeting people in the media. What’s not to like? If you have no idea where to start on getting freelance writing work, check out this post HERE.

Know how pitching works … And always follow up! Lots of writers believe they have a “no go” if they pitch something and no one replies, so don’t bother again: always pitch projects A LOT!!!! You wouldn’t believe how quickly the situation changes. I had a project I thought was dead in the water; I must have pitched it to twenty producers all to be met with “meh.” I left it to one side for six months and whammo: I ended up with two companies interested in it at the same time. How mad is that? Recycle everything!!! MORE:5 Pitching Tips, plus When To Follow Up

Road Test Your Concepts. There’s no point diving into a draft, unless you actively just want to write for the fun of it; you will slow yourself down otherwise. If you want to make serious advances and progress with your CAREER, then road test your concepts and make sure they work at grass roots level before you attempt a draft. MORE:7 Steps To Road Testing Your Concepts

Be philosophical. This is the thing: we’re all learning, all the time. None of us are or ever will be, experts. We make one step backwards, three steps back and that’s just the nature of the industry. And it’s SLOW, HARD work as standard. No one is plucked from obscurity – we wish! MORE:Creating Your Career

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I could spend weeks reading this website and following all the extremely useful links… and probably more links.
That’s the problem with the internet & social media. Too much time spent reading and not enough spent doing.
But – this one’s gone into my Favourites to keep.